


Love and Joy Come to You

by spirithorse



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Christmas Fluff, M/M, Modern AU, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-12 00:59:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12947883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spirithorse/pseuds/spirithorse
Summary: It was strange, he would be the first to admit that, but he didn’t want to give any of this up. Even without the whole legacy of the Shepherd thing, it was magical and the best thing that happened to him. Besides, they were already planning a summer wedding, and Alisha and Rose had promised to stand up with him at the altar.He tapped his thumb against his ring before turning to face Rose. “Look, I know the way it sounds and looks.”“Yes. You’re engaged to a madman.”“No. I’m engaged to the Shepherd.” Mikleo paused, tipping his head to the side. “Shepherd-in-training.”





	Love and Joy Come to You

**Author's Note:**

> It's time for Christmas movies, so I've been rewatching my favorites. I recently watched the Santa Clause 2 and was inspired to to this. You might recognize Lily from another fic, I'm just reusing the character with a different background for this story. Title from The Wassail Song.

Mikleo had expected to spend more time with the family as soon as he walked in the door. Maybe be hauled aside by Sergei to suffer under his military precision for a while or maybe corralled by Lily to be shown the decorations around the house. From what Alisha had said, Lily was very proud of the way that they had gone all out this year. Apparently the front yard and inside were the work of weeks between her and Sergei as a surprise for Rose and Alisha, and to show up the next door neighbor. He’d gotten a good look as he had walked to the house, but Lily was sure to come up with a variety of facts that he absolutely had to know.

Instead, Rose had grabbed him as soon as she had spotted him and dragged him into the kitchen. Then again, it wasn’t so bad in there either. Mikleo leaned against the counter, looking around at the racks of cookies that were set out on all the counters. He raised an eyebrow at the sugar coated snowflake shaped cookies. His fingers twitched at the sight of them, his stomach rumbling. He hadn’t really had lunch, just what bits of his sandwich he’d been able to eat before he’d gotten the e-mail about the tenure meeting.

Mikleo reached for one of the cookies, jerking his hand back when Rose cleared her throat. Mikleo shot her an annoyed look before crossing his arms. “Sergei’s been busy.”

Rose looked around, seeming to realize just how many cookies that were cooling. She sighed and ran a hand down her face. “It’s how he de-stresses.”

Mikleo flinched. “Are things that bad?”

“No. He’s doing great. PT is going well, as is therapy. He’s just…trying to figure out what to do with all of his time. Lily and the house keeps him busy, but not _that_ busy. He’s trying out hobbies.”

Mikleo hummed and reached out to take one of the cookies. He nibbled on the edge of cookie, watching Rose.

She paced in front of the oven, shooting him looks every once and a while. In fact, she was looking at his engagement ring. Mikleo rubbed his thumb against the side of the ring, stopping just before he turned it all the way around. He took another bite of the cookie, raising an eyebrow when Rose stopped pacing.

She crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes at him. “I’m going to level with you.”

“Okay…”

“It’s about your fiancé.”

Mikleo sighed, glancing at his watch. “He’ll be here on time, don’t worry.”

“Oh, it’s not about that.” Rose flapped her hand dismissively. “Not really. It’s about what he brought us.”

Mikleo paused with the cookie halfway to his mouth. He narrowed his eyes at her. “That’s kind of not the point. You’re not supposed to open them until Midwinter.”

“Hey, I didn’t peek! I was hiding them. Alisha likes to peek and I don’t want Lily getting into the habit. One of them must have because the wrapping on a present was ripped and it fell out.” Rose shifted in place, her frowned deepening. “Do you know what it was?”

“No. Sorey got all of those himself.”

“That doesn’t help.” Rose reached back to drum her fingers against the counter. “It was a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle with a compass and sundial in the stock.”

Mikleo raised an eyebrow. “That’s specific.”

“I know. And it’s exactly what I wanted when I was five.”

Mikleo cleared his throat, turning the cookie over in his fingers. “Wow.”

“Yeah.” Rose pushed away from the counter, taking a step towards him. “Especially since I never told _anyone_ that I wanted one that year. And production was stopped after a kid shot their eye out. So I did some digging. There’s only three left and none of them are for sale. I even called the company to ask about it, and they haven’t produced anything in years. And there’s not a single one left in the box.”

Mikleo swallowed, resisting the urge to shove the rest of the cookie in his mouth. “You should see Sorey’s grandpa go through antique stores and auction houses. He’s a force of nature.”

“Yes, except there _aren’t any out there_.” Rose leaned closer to him, Mikleo shrinking back against the counter. “And it got me thinking, about your vacation.”

“The one up to Merichio?”

“Except you weren’t in Merichio. I came across it one day when I saw you check in somewhere and I thought nothing of it. Except then I saw this and I got to thinking…wherever you went, it was on the polar ice cap up there. No one lives there. I checked everything that I can think of, but there’s just nothing there. Even his family doesn’t exist. _He_ doesn’t exist.”

Mikleo swallowed, just barely keeping himself from tightening his hold on the cookie. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that you might want to be careful. I know he’s nice and everything you wanted, but maybe…he’s too good to be true.”

Mikleo stared at her, his thumb rubbing against his ring. This time he did shove the rest of the cookie in his mouth. As an avoidance strategy, it was not a good one. He could tell that from the moment that Rose raised an eyebrow. Mikleo just chewed slowly, hoping to buy himself time.

He had thought he had turned that function of his phone off. Then again, he should have checked, but he had been busy. The vacation had been a surprise one, something that Sorey had done on the heels of the last tenure meeting that had fallen through. Sorey had swept him off to the north to visit the workshop and village. It had been a wonderful four days, ones with hours spent in bed and wandering around the village. For lack of a better world, it had been magical. And meeting Sorey’s family had been wonderful, if a little life altering. For his whole life he had pictured the Shepherd and an amiable old man who delivered presents at Midwinter with the help of the seraphim. Apparently, Zenrus had been retired for years and Selene had been handling the deliveries.

Still it had been one of the best weekends of his life, although he was now rethinking the pictures that he had posted or texted. Sorey had reassured him that it would be fine, but he had never thought about Rose’s suspicious streak and her ability to research when she put her mind to it. Then again, he should have expected it as some time.

He swallowed his cookie, glancing up at the ceiling. He barely got a moment to try and put together some defense before Rose was grabbing onto him and pulling him close. Mikleo bent forward awkwardly as Rose slung an arm over his shoulder. He grunted, glancing over at her.

Rose shook her head, giving his shoulder a pat. “Look, I don’t want to rain on your parade, but I’m worried. Like, you pull out this perfect nerd hunk out of nowhere. It’s just too good to be true.”

“What are you getting at?”

“I just want to know where you went and what he does.”

Mikleo raised a shoulder in a shrug. “I went to Merichio. And Sorey works in the toy business.”

Rose squeezed his shoulder, her smile getting a little more of a hard edge to it. Mikleo flinched in the face of it, knowing that he had just given himself away. He glanced over at the cookies, considering lunging for another one. His stomach was certainly telling him that it would be a good idea.

It might be a while until he got food, depending on how the parade went. And the cookies smelled deliciously lemony, far better than the warm lunch still in the car. There were plenty of restaurants in downtown Ladylake, but they would be closed by the time the parade let out. Mikleo was sure that he could justify slipping away to grab something to eat. He hadn’t had time for lunch and his last class ran just late enough that he hadn’t had the time to grab food before coming over to the Diphda-Strelka house. Mikleo was sure that he could technically duck out of the parade because he wasn’t needed. He wasn’t the mayor of Ladylake or the CEO of the Sparrowfeathers, nor was he their husband. He was just a professor at the local community college, but it had felt strange not to be there when Sorey had volunteered to drive the vehicle that the mayor was in. Just what he was driving was unclear, but Mikleo was willing to roll with it.

He had thought that Rose and the others would be fine with it too. But that had been on the assumption that Rose and the others wouldn’t find out. He hadn’t even figured out how to explain the situation to his mother and uncle. Both of them had swallowed the story that he had initially been given; Sorey and his family were in the toy business, an old family business, far up north. Mikleo was sure that none of them were going to be asking questions, especially since they had arranged for Selene and Zenrus to spend the summer holidays with them. They had even bought the excuse that the company was at its busiest during the Midwinter season, not that it was much of an excuse considering that it was true. It was everything else that went along with it.

Every child believed in the Shepherd, the six reindeer that pulled his sleigh, the seraphim that assisted him and his rush around the world on Midwinter. Adults didn’t believe it as much, so Mikleo was sure that it would be hard to swallow, when he figured out how to tell them. He was sure that he would just have to take Muse and Michael up beyond Merichio. He wasn’t sure that he would be able to do that with Rose, Alisha, Sergei and Lily. That felt like stretching the secret too far.

Mikleo glanced over at Rose, taking in her serious expression before sighing. She wouldn’t let up, and he was going to be stuck with her for a while. Rose had the strange ability to look completely benign while being threatening. It was one of her many skills.

He wiggled out from under her arm, snagging one of the citrus smelling cookies. He delayed a little bit longer by taking a bite. He hummed at the taste, tempted to give up and stuff the whole cookie into his mouth. But Rose was still glaring and, if she aired her suspicious, he knew that Alisha and Sergei would come into line with her. It was a kind of defense that he was sure that Sorey wouldn’t survive. He looked down at his ring, looking at the fine of holly and ivy that made up the band.

It was strange, he would be the first to admit that, but he didn’t want to give any of this up. Even without the whole legacy of the Shepherd thing, it was magical and the best thing that happened to him. Besides, they were already planning a summer wedding, and Alisha and Rose had promised to stand up with him at the altar.

He tapped his thumb against his ring before turning to face Rose. “Look, I know the way it sounds and looks.”

“Yes. You’re engaged to a madman.”

“No. I’m engaged to the Shepherd.” Mikleo paused, tipping his head to the side. “Shepherd-in-training.”

Rose stared at him for a moment before shaking his head. “Look, I know you’re under a lot of stress. How many times have you been passed over for a promotion or tenure?”

“Eight.”

“Motherfu-” Rose cut herself off with a glance over at the kitchen door. Mikleo followed her gaze, fully expecting to see a little blonde head peering in. He looked back at her as she stood up straight again, the serious look gone from her face. Instead, there was a sympathetic one. “Look, I know that you’re being crushed in there, but that’s no reason to start going crazy. That won’t win you anything with the dean.”

“Rose-”

“Look, just start job searching. That place is no good for you. And just…maybe have a long talk with Sorey. This isn’t healthy.”

“I’m serious.”

Rose gave him a long look, the corner of her mouth twitching up. He recognized the look from when Lily was being stubborn. He waited out the short twitches before Rose shook her head. Mikleo sighed and ate the rest of the cookie. It wasn’t a victory, but it was a retreat. It just meant that he would have to talk to Sorey about this eventually, but that could wait until the season was over. It was getting to the time of year where Sorey would go back home for the season, and Mikleo would have to muddle through on his own, at least until Sorey slipped into his room early Midwinter morning. That was perhaps the best part of the holiday.

Rose opened her mouth, probably to say something else, but she was interrupted by a blonde head peeking through the door. “Mom?”

“Yes?”

“Sorey is here!”

Rose tensed, Mikleo expecting her to say that they weren’t going. The corner of her mouth twitched again, but then she smiled. “We’ll be right there. Make sure you have everything ready to go.”

Lily nodded and scurried off, the door swinging shut behind her. Rose held her smile until it was closed, then she rounded on Mikleo with a frown. “We’re not done.”

She turned on her heel and walked out of the kitchen. Mikleo watched her go, swaying in place. He was tempted to grab another cookie for the road, but he wanted to see Sorey too. It was the time of year they snatched glimpses of each other, something Mikleo was ready to end.

He walked out of the kitchen and into the main hall, smiling as he watched Lily run down the hall. She ducked around where Sergei was reaching for her, heading right for the door. Mikleo shook his head, following after her.

He picked up his coat on the rack, stepping aside to let Rose and Alisha slide past.

Rose shot him a Look as she went past, Mikleo shivering at it. He used his coat as a reason to look away, although Rose was distracted soon enough.

Sergei noticed it first, Mikleo hearing a burst of laughter. “Well, that’s fitting.”

Mikleo looked over at the street, biting his lip to keep from laughing.

Pulled up neatly to the curb was a sleigh pulled by six reindeer and, leaning against the sleigh was Sorey. He wasn’t in the full Shepherd outfit, probably because of the man hired to be the Shepherd at the end of the parade, but he was wearing more red than Mikleo was used to him seeing. Sorey had always said red had seemed like his mother’s color, and he was happy enough in blue, at least for now. Still, he looked good in his jacket and the soft hat on his head.

Mikleo was distracted from the sight of Sorey by Alisha leaning over to adjust Lily’s ponytail. “Now, remember you manners. This isn’t the time to practice haggling.”

Lily stayed in place long enough to nod before running down towards the sleigh. Alisha groaned and followed after. “Lily…”

The girl didn’t seem to hear her mother, at least until she got to the curb. Then Lily stopped short. She sway in place before nervously reaching out to tug at the end of Sorey’s coat.

Sorey leaned over, a smile on his face. “Hello.”

“Hello.” Lily’s reply was the quietest that Mikleo had ever heard her. Usually she was a little ball of energy running around the house at high speed. Now she looked shocked and in awe. “I…I was wondering if I could have a pony…and a sword.”

“Lily!” Alisha pulled up her dress a little to be able to cross the yard at a run. She reached out to pull Lily close. “I’m so sorry. She’s not usually like this.”

Sorey shook his head, leaning back against the sleigh. “Don’t worry, it happens all the time.” He turned to gesture at the back of the sleigh. “One special ride for the mayor, equipped with blankets and hot chocolate for the family.”

Alisha nodded, patting her daughter’s hair. “Oh, thank you.”

“Not at all.” Sorey reached over to open the back part of the sleigh.

Alisha stepped toward it, only to stop when Lily didn’t move. She was still staring at Sorey with wide eyes. “I would like a suit of armor…but that won’t be practical because I’m still growing, but may some chainmail.”

“Lily!”

“For safety.”

Sorey chuckled and leaned over to ruffle her hair. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Lily nodded, her gaze darting over to the reindeer. “Can I…can I pet them?”

“Only if your mother says it’s alright.” Sorey turned to look at Alisha. “They’re very well behaved.”

Alisha sighed, seeming to give up. “We have plenty of time. But just until we get things set up back here, alright?”

Lily didn’t respond, she was already inching back towards the reindeer closest to the sleigh. The deer turned its head to look at her, but Lily was still a bit too short to reach its muzzle. Sorey stepped around to lift her up, Lily squealing as the reindeer stretched its muzzle out to lip at her reaching fingers.

Mikleo watched the two of them for a moment before turning to look at Rose. She had stopped just in front of him, still staring at the sleigh. She was the only one that hadn’t recovered from the shock of it. Sergei was carefully limping his way over to the sleigh, sticking to the mostly cleared part of the driveway. Alisha was already waiting inside the sleigh with a hand ready to help Sergei in. It would take him a while to get him settled between his leg and the cane he was using. Although, now that Mikleo was watching him move, Sergei was looking far better than before.

He sighed and stepped forward to stand by Rose. He played with his ring, choosing to watch Lily get introduced to the team of reindeer. “So…what do you think?”

“What the hell?”

“Would it help if I said it was a family vehicle?”

He felt Rose’s gaze land on him, turning his head to see her giving him an incredulous look. Rose held it for a moment longer before shaking her head. “He’s good with kids, I’ll give him that. I’ve never seen Lily like this. She’d usually be talking his ear off.”

“Sorey has that effect on people.”

Rose hummed and went to help Sergei get into the sleigh. He didn’t need much help, but Rose hovered anyway.

Mikleo watched them for a moment more before heading over to where Sorey was holding Lily in front of the lead reindeer. She was petting one of them, jerking her hand back when the other reindeer turned and snapped.

Sorey was quick to turn her away, frowning at the reindeer. “Innominat, behave. I’m sure you don’t want Mom driving a five in hand again this year.”

The reindeer shook its head, but managed to look remorseful. Sorey stared at it for a moment more before turning Lily back towards the reindeer. “This one is Maotelus. He’s young, but he’s a hard worker.”

“Hello, Maotelus.”

The reindeer pressed his muzzle against her hand, the contact lasting for a moment before Sorey set her down. Lily muttered something that could have been thanks before she was sprinting off towards the back of the sleigh. She seemed to have recovered her voice because she was shouting about having met the Shepherd's reindeer.

Mikleo watched her go, shaking his head. A crunch of snow made him turn his head, Mikleo smiling and holding out his hand. Sorey was quick to take it and draw him close for a kiss on the cheek. “Hello.”

“Hey you.” Mikleo leaned against him, looking back at where Rose was arranging the blanket over the four of them. “Thanks for doing this.”

“No problem.” Sorey started to tug him towards the front of the sleigh. “Mom wanted to do a bit of the trial run for the sleigh and team. They’ve been on vacation for a while. A parade should warm them up the rest of the way.”

“And you wanted to show off?” He turned his head just in time to see Sorey blush and scratch his cheek.

“Just a little. Is it so wrong to want to impress you?”

Mikleo rocked up onto his tip toes to kiss Sorey’s cheek. “You always impress me.”

Sorey squeezed his hand before nudging him towards the front. “Come on. We still have to get downtown. There’s a blanket and a coat in there…and a thermos of tomato soup from Kresnik’s. You had a late class today, didn’t you?”

Mikleo sighed and leaned against him. “Marry me.”

“I’m trying.” Sorey pressed his face into Mikleo’s hair for a moment before pulling away. “Come on, let’s get these guys through a parade."

Mikleo nodded, smiling as Sorey handed him up into the sleigh. He immediately tugged the red coat on and the blanket over his lap. Mikleo eyed the paper bag tucked against the front of the sleigh but he let it sit for now. He would start sipping through the parade to keep him warm.

He lifted the edge of the blanket as Sorey slid into place, tossing it back over his lap as Sorey gathered the reins. Mikleo settled against Sorey’s side, watching as Sorey flicked the reins over the reindeer's back and clucked to them. The reindeer snorted and moved away, Mikleo smiled to himself. He could hear Alisha and the others chattering in the back and what sounded like the start of a lecture from Sergei about safe sword handling, but he tuned it out. He was perfect content to lean against Sorey and watch the street through the antlers of the reindeer.


End file.
